Third-rail contact.



S. PRZESPOLEWSKI.

THIRD RAIL CONTACT,

APPLICATION nun JULY 3. 1914.

Patented Nov. 17, 1911 2 SHEETSSHBET 1.

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S. PRZESPOLEWSKI.

THIRD RAIL CONTACT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY :1, 1014.

1,117,441, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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THE NORRIS PETERS C0, PHOTO-LITHOU WASHING ION, r). c.

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STANISLAW ZPRZESPOLEWSKI, O CARNEGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

' THIRDRAIL CONTACT.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, S'ramsnaw Pnznsro- LewsKI, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residing at Carnegie, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Third-Rail Contacts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in third rail contacts.

An object of the invention is to provide a contacting member for third rails with cushioning means whereby the contact may be moved relative to the car and third rail to allow for an uneven road bed and other jars and shocks.

A further object is to provide a third rail contact composed of a plurality of sections rotatably-mounted on a shaft and having a ball bearing connection therewith to reduce running friction.

With these general objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure l is a side elevational View of a car embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the railway track with the contact roller in position on the third rail. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the contacting member in position on the rail, and, Fig. f is a side elevational view partly in section illustrating the bearing of the roller contact on the stub axle and the third rail.

Briefly described, the invention consists of a third rail system with the third rail for supplying current to the car positioned centrally of the wheel rails to be engaged by a roller contact carried by the car, the roller contact beingcarried by a spring-pressed hanger so that the same may be permitted to reciprocate to allow for unevenness in the road bed and with a particular construction of roller to reduce the friction caused by revolvin Referring ,more in detail to the accompanying drawings, the reference numeral Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3, 1914.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 1914;.

Serial No. 848,842.

10 designates a car of any suitable construction carryii'lg a contact roller designated generally 11, 'n'eferably centrally of the car body. The railway track consists of the usual wheel rails 12 mounted on the ties 18 and having positioned between the same the third rail 14.

The third rail contact 11 is suspended from a U-shaped hanger is secured in any suitable manner to the bottom of the car and having an opening therein for the reception of the stem 16 carried by the upper wall of an inverted U-shaped hanger 17.

The stem 16 is preferably rectangular in cross-section so that the same will not have any rotary movement relative to the said hanger 15 while the inverted U-shaped hanger 17 has flat side and upper faces. The hanger 17 is suspended from the U- shaped hanger 15 by a pin 18 extending through the upper end of the stem 16 at a point above the said hanger with the pro jecting ends of the pin engaging the hanger to support the stem in proper position. A coil spring 19 surrounds the said stem between the hangers 15 and 17 and tends to normally hold the inverted U-shaped hanger 17 in its lowern'lost position, with the contact roller carried thereby in engagement with the third rail 14-. The lower ends of the inverted U-shaped hanger 17 are provided with registering openings for the reception of a stub shaft 20. The stub shaft 20 is held in position in the inverted U- shaped hanger 17 by set screws 21. passing through collars 22 on the said shaft and positioned to engage the said hanger.

The contact roller preferably consists of a plurality of sections in the form of independently rotatable disks, as shown in section in Fig. l, and consists of a central member 23 and side members 2-11., the opposite faces of which are recessed for the reception of spacing rings 25 and also have ball bearings 26 that engage the shaft 20 to space the members 23 and 2-.l: from the said. shaft to reduce the friction.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1

that the opposed faces of the roller sections are flat and contact throughout their entire space, thus to prevent any wabbling action under use, which would tend to cause uneven wear and thus reduce the elliciency of the structure as a whole. I urthermore, by having the sections independently rotatable, the device will accommodate itself more readily to the curvatures in the track and with less wear than if the sections were ordinarily connected. These are features of importance and add materially to the value of the structure as a whole.

The circuit from the third rail 14 to the car passes through the contact roller designated 11 in general in the usual manner, while the contact roller is move vertically in the hanger 18 to compensate for unevenness of the third rail. It is also to be noted that should any of'the roller sections 23 or 24: become injured, the same may be readily removed from the hanger M and repaired or new sections substituted with a minimum loss of time and at low cost.

ll 'hile have herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, 1 do not wish to confine myself thereto, as ious forms, modifications and arranget of the parts as shown may be had without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as new is l. in a third rail contact, a car hanger, a roller han r suspended therefrom, cushioning sprmg interposed between the two hangers, a shaft carried by the lower hanger, and a contact wheel carried by the lower hanger and embodying a plurality of independently revc-luble sections, the opposed faces of which have flat contact throughout.

2. In a third rail contact, a hanger having an opening therein, a stem vertically-movpermitted to able through the opening and provided with means to hunt downward movement, an 1nverted J-shaped hanger carried by the lower end of the stem a coiled s arin on the stem between the hangers, a shaft mounted in the lower hanger, and a contact wheel mounted upon the shaft and embodying a plurality of independently operable sections, the 0p posed faces of which have flat contact throughout.

3. In a third rail contact, an upper hanger, a lower hanger suspended there from, a contact wheel carried by the lower hanger and embodying a plurality of independent rotatable members having flat contact throughout the extent of their opposed faces, and cushioning means interposed be: tween the two hangers.

at. In a third rail contact, an inverted U- shaped hanger, a shaft in the hanger, a three-part roller contact mounted upon the shaft, the members of the contact being independently rotatable and having flat contact throughout. the extent of their opposed faces, and the latter faces being provided with annular recesses, spacing rings arranged within the recesses, and roller bearings interposed between the spacing rings and the shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STANISLAW PRZESPOLEWSKI.

Witnesses Jenner KUKOSZ, STANISLAW YASOINSKI.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

